MANHATTAN, Kan. – For a second-consecutive season, Kansas State senior safety Dante Barnett was one of 42 players nationally to be named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has announced.

Barnett’s honor is also the fifth-straight season a Wildcat has been up for the award, joining 2012 finalist Arthur Brown, 2013 preseason candidate Ty Zimmerman and 2014 quarterfinalist Ryan Mueller.

 

This is the 13th year the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has presented the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which goes to the student-athlete who exhibits the characteristics displayed by Ronnie Lott during his legendary college and professional careers. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

 

Barnett, a product of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is tied for first among active Big 12 players with 29 career starts, which included a 27-game starting streak that came to an end due to an injury in the 2015 season opener. He earned a medical hardship and will be a senior again in 2016 as he was named a team captain for a third-straight year, one of just six three-time team captains in school history. He enters his final campaign as the team’s top returning tackler with 181 career stops, while he also paces the squad with seven career interceptions, which is three shy of entering K-State’s career top-10 list.

 

Off the field, Barnett is a member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, while he has volunteered for many community-service activities, including Cats in the Classroom, Senior Cats and Adopt-a-Family. Currently, Barnett and 15 other K-State student-athletes are in Costa Rica as part of the Courts for Kids initiative as they are partnering with members of the Linea, Vieja, community to build a multi-purpose sports court from the ground up. The court will be utilized by area youth and physical education teachers, in addition to being a landing place for community events.

 

The Wildcats open their 2016 football season on Friday, September 2, in a nationally-televised game at Stanford. Following an off week in which Bill Snyder Family Stadium will host the Wildcat Kickoff music festival featuring Zac Brown Band and Train, K-State begins its home slate on September 17, against Florida Atlantic.

 

A limited number of single-game tickets for the 2016 season go on sale online only on June 20. All six home games are anticipated to sell out quickly and extend the Bill Snyder Family Stadium sellout streak to 33 games.

 

Tickets to Wildcat Kickoff are on sale for as low at $39. Visit www.k-statesports.com for more details.

– k-statesports.com –

 

 

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RYAN LACKEY
Assistant Director | Athletics Communications

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts homered to back a strong start by David Price, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on Wednesday night to salvage a split of their day-night doubleheader.

The Royals won the opener 3-2 behind a strong performance by Ian Kennedy and their bullpen.

It was Price (6-1) who shined in the nightcap, allowing two runs over 7 1/3 innings. Junichi Tazawa got through the rest of the eighth before Craig Kimbrel handled a scoreless ninth for his 11th save.

The Red Sox were clinging to a 2-1 lead when they loaded the bases off Edinson Volquez (4-4) with two outs in the sixth inning. Christian Vazquez dribbled a single up the middle to score two runs, giving the Red Sox plenty of cushion the way their left-hander was pitching.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Eric Hosmer homered for the second straight day, the Royals turned their first three hits off Boston’s Steven Wright into runs, and Kansas City held off the Red Sox 3-2 on Wednesday to open a split-doubleheader.

Hosmer followed a single by Alcides Escobar with a homer in the first inning, and Lorenzo Cain added a sacrifice fly following a triple by Jarrod Dyson in the sixth for the Royals’ only offense.

It proved to be enough for Ian Kennedy and their bullpen.

Kennedy allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings, striking out nine, before Brian Flynn – who earned his first career win – and Luke Hochevar combined to strike out four consecutive batters.

Wade Davis worked around a single in ninth for his ninth save.

Wright (3-4) surrendered five hits without a walk in a complete game for Boston.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Paulo Orlando hit a two-run homer, Eric Hosmer also went deep and the Kansas City Royals beat the hot-hitting Boston Red Sox 8-4 on Tuesday night in the opener of their three-game series.

Orlando also tripled and had a two-run single. Omar Infante and Alcides Escobar drove in runs as Kansas City continued to slowly break out of its season-long offensive funk.

Yordano Ventura (4-2), who has struggled with walks all season, issued one free pass in 5 2/3 innings for Kansas City. He allowed four runs and seven hits before exiting with a one-run lead.

Orlando’s homer highlighted a three-run eighth that gave the Royals some breathing room.

Rick Porcello (6-2) gave up five runs, four earned, on eight hits and two walks for Boston. He lasted five-plus innings, his shortest start since going two innings against the White Sox last July.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas will headline the CBE Classic at Sprint Center in November, and will be joined by Georgia, UAB and NIT champion George Washington in the championship rounds of the tournament.

The Jayhawks return several key players from last season’s team, which spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation. They also will welcome the nation’s top-rated recruit in Josh Jackson as they begin pursuit of a 13th straight Big 12 championship.

The championship rounds are Nov. 21-22. They wrap up a weekend of festivities that includes the induction of the latest class into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Among those who will be inducted are Dominique Wilkins, Doug Collins and Mike Montgomery.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State sophomore center Dalton Risner was one of 57 centers nationally, including seven from the Big 12, to be named to the 2016 spring watch list for the Rimington Trophy, the award’s committee announced Tuesday.

 

Risner’s first-career mention for the award marks the fifth time in the last seven years a Wildcat has been a candidate for the award that honors the nation’s premier center.

 

A 13-game starter as a redshirt freshman in 2015, Risner earned First Team Freshman All-America honors from Campus Insiders and second-team accolades from Athlon and Scout. The Wiggins, Colorado, native, helped K-State rank second nationally in red zone offense (94.5-percent) and 18th in passing yards per completion (14.12) a year ago, while he helped the Wildcats rush for 29 touchdowns, which was just one shy of entering the school’s top-10 list. In addition to his on-field accolades, Risner also picked up Second Team Academic All-Big 12 honors.

 

Previous K-State candidates for the award include three-time candidate and 2014 finalist B.J. Finney, Wade Weibert (2010), Jordan Bedore (2008) and 2003 finalist Nick Leckey.

 

K-State embarks on its 2016 football season on Friday, September 2, as K-State faces Stanford in Palo Alto, California, in a nationally-televised matchup. Following an off week in which Bill Snyder Family Stadium will host the Wildcat Kickoff music festival featuring Zac Brown Band and Train, the Wildcats open their home slate on September 17, against Florida Atlantic.

 

A limited number of single-game tickets for the 2016 season go on sale online only on June 20. All six home games are anticipated to sell out quickly and extend the Bill Snyder Family Stadium sellout streak to 33 games.

 

Tickets to Wildcat Kickoff are on sale for as low at $39. Visit www.k-statesports.com for more details.

– k-statesports.com –

 

 

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RYAN LACKEY
Assistant Director | Athletics Communications

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Cheney native Jerry Kill, whose 32-year football coaching career spanned 156 wins as a head coach and included remarkable turnarounds and results, is returning home to the state of Kansas as K-State Athletics Director John Currie announced today that the former Minnesota head coach has been named Associate Athletics Director for Administration.

 

In his new role, Kill will be a member of Currie’s senior departmental staff and serve as chief administrator for the K-State football program. Kill retired from Minnesota and the coaching profession in 2015 due to health reasons and is excited to enter a new administrative phase of his career.

 

“We are thrilled that Jerry and Rebecca are coming home to join the K-State family,” Currie said. “He is ready to move into a new chapter of his life and professional career, and his experience as a former head coach will be a terrific addition to our staff. We look forward to the perspective and mentoring he will provide our coaches and student-athletes as we continue toward our vision of a Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program.”

 

“Rebecca and I couldn’t be happier to return home to the state of Kansas and join the K-State Athletics family and Manhattan community,” Kill said. “I want to make it known that my coaching days are over, and I am excited to start this next phase as an administrator for one of the finest athletics departments in the country. Mentoring has always been very important to me, and I am thrilled to work in support of Hall of Fame Coach Bill Snyder and the football program and learn more about the administrative side of college athletics under John and the rest of the first-class staff at K-State.”

 

A three-time national coach of the year honoree, Kill recorded winning seasons in 15 of his 22 years as a college head coach. He most recently coached at Minnesota, from 2011-2015, where he took the Gophers to heights not seen in recent years. In year four, Kill led Minnesota to a January 1 bowl game for the first time since 1962 and coached the Gophers to wins against Michigan and Iowa, which had previously not happened in the same season since 1967. Under Kill’s direction, Minnesota also won eight games in both 2013 and 2014, which marked only the fifth time since 1906 that Minnesota won eight games in consecutive seasons.

 

In his previous four stops as a head coach, he never left a school with a sub-.500 record, and in three of his previous four head coaching positions, he took over a team with a losing record and turned in a winning season in three years or less.
“Sean and I have spent a great deal of time with Jerry and Rebecca and feel as though they will be a solid addition to our Kansas State and community family,” said Snyder. “Both are down to earth, caring people who fit well in this culture.  Jerry’s health issues have precluded him from coaching again, but his passion for athletics and young people make this a positive step for his future career.”

 

Prior to his stint at Minnesota, Kill led Northern Illinois to 23 wins and three consecutive bowl games during his tenure and also coached NIU to a berth the Mid-American Conference Championship game in 2010.

 

Prior to serving as the head coach at NIU, Kill was in charge of the football program at Southern Illinois, an FCS program in Carbondale, Ill. He spent seven years on the Saluki sideline and compiled a 55-32 record. Kill’s record over his final five seasons with Southern Illinois was 50-14 and included five consecutive NCAA FCS Playoff appearances.

 

Kill was the head coach at Emporia (Kan.) State for two seasons in 1999-2000. He went 11-11 with the Hornets, who play at the NCAA Division II level. Prior to Emporia State, Kill was the head coach at NCAA Division II member Saginaw Valley State from 1994-1998. He compiled a 38-14 record with the Cardinals.

 

Kill served as defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator in two different stops at Pittsburg (Kan.) State University. He helped lead the Gorillas to three NAIA playoff appearances as the defensive coordinator from 1985-87. Kill returned to Pitt State as the offensive coordinator from 1990-93. In that four-year span, the Gorillas advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs four times, reaching the championship game twice and winning the 1991 national title.

 

Sandwiched between his stints at Pittsburg State, Kill was the head coach at Webb City (Mo.) High School. He was 25-1 in two seasons at Webb City and won a state championship in 1989.

 

Kill, a 1983 graduate of Southwestern (Kan.) College, and his wife Rebecca have two daughters, Krystal and Tasha.

 

 

– k-statesports.com –

 

 

 

 

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KENNY LANNOU
Associate A.D. for Communications | K-State Athletics